So, first impressions of looking at the packaging, it appears to be thin. But those sneaky marketing directors managed to use some space-time paradox, and when I opened the case, I actually noticed the thickness of the case. The top half (where the LCD screen is) is almost 1" thick (7/8" actual size), whereas the bottom half (Keyboard) is a bit thinner, at 3/4's of an inch.

Usability of the case itself, is not that bad. Yes it adds thickness to the BB, but I personally like it. Its easier to hold in my hands, and the texture of the back of the case makes it more grip-able when your hands are wet or sweaty. The trackball is ever so slightly covered from the cross bar of the case (separating the LCD from the keyboard), but its nothing major. Not even 1/8th of an inch is covered. A small self-modification to the case made it perfect. Razor blade to shave off a small bit and I was happy.

The protective film in the case is a bit difficult to install. For lack of a better description, it kinda looks like a figure 8. Mine was installed already before writing this review, so I couldn't take any pictures. The instructions claim to place the front hard plastic case, face down on a level surface, then the film inside the case, then place your phone face down. Fold over the plastic case to protect the leather part of the back of the bold, then snap together the hard plastic case. Finally, wrap it with the rubber case. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong.

The plastic film also covers the keyboard, and is molded to the keyboard so its not an obstacle to type. If this is off even 1/16th of an inch, typing is pretty much a write off. It has to be installed PERFECTLY or else your typing will suffer. This is however, the hardest part of the install. I happened to get mine on the 3rd try, but instead of doing as the instructions suggested. I used a ever so tiny piece of 2 way clear tape, stuck it to the bottom of the BB, then placed the film over it perfectly. Then I snapped the hard plastic case over.

Once the hard plastic case is snapped together, wrapping it with the rubber case is pretty straight forward. The rubber actually has small "tabs" on it to slide into the hard plastic case, so it doesn't fall off easily. In fact, its almost difficult to remove. After that's installed, you're pretty much golden. The case itself feels awesome in my hands, the extra thickness isn't too much of a pain, and the typing is a bit odd, but nothing you cant get used too. The keyboard section of the case is pretty much the same as any other hard shell case for a blackberry.

The holster included in the box is top notch. You place it on your belt, as any other case, but they were smart with this. It isn't removable from your belt easily. It has a spring clip, but since the case is designed to be rugged and heavy duty, its actually a bit of a chore to take off. The phone itself, slides in and sits, LCD screen towards your body (for added protection). It includes the little magnets in the case to turn your screen off too, which is rare to find in after-market cases. It sits in there, quite firm. It wont accidentally fall out, unless you're bungee jumping lol. I tested this by jumping up and down, shaking and twisting, even fake-tripping and falling down. Lets not think about the mental image, and just move on lol. The phone didn't fall out once, didn't even budge. You'd think with this information, the phone would never come out of the case, but the exact opposite occurred. To remove the phone, grip the sides, pull, and it slides out as if its coated in butter.

As for functionality, keyboard and trackball issues were mentioned above. I found myself, before this case, I was accidentally pressing the side keys (Camera) accidentally, when I either removed or placed into the stock BB belt clip case. This is not an issue anymore. You must firmly press the button to get it to go. Still very doable with 1 finger, but its not as accident prone as I found it to be previously. The sound comes through loud and clear, speakerphone and ear piece are all just as clear as they were before. The light in the corner is also clearly visible, and the flash LED is also unobstructed. Now, the coolest part of it all, was the headphone jack, and the USB port area. The case has a rubber flap that doesn't just "sit" there, it actually folds into place with the hard plastic case, protecting it from moisture, rain drops, and dust. I actually tested this, with a small dish of water. 1/8" of water, places the phone, powered on, LCD screen up. Not a drop of water on the inside. LCD screen down, was laughing, not even close to damaging the BB. Wouldn't recommend full submerging into a toilet or pool or anything though, its not water proof, just resistant.

Overall impressions of this phone (for those who complain TLDR), a bit pricey, but if you want absolute protection for your phone, it's a good buy. 6 foot drops of the phone onto concrete, barely even a scratch on the phone. They claim (but there's no way I'm testing it for you), that it can be run over by a car and still be fine.

The trackball is ever so slightly covered from the cross bar of the case (separating the LCD from the keyboard), but its nothing major. Not even 1/8th of an inch is covered. A small self-modification to the case made it perfect. Razor blade to shave off a small bit and I was happy.

This may be a stupid question, but how can it nearly be waterproof and functional with the trackball being covered or uncovered. Just curious how this works.

Looks like the Defender series case that I bought for my Bold. The crossbar just above the trackball is very thin and, even if you get used to it, willl get slightly knocked around as you use the trackball. I returned one under warranty (which was very promptly replaced without questions) as this bar cracked and separated. Once this bar cracks, other sections will also crack. My replacement has now also cracked.

I'm actually on a construction site fairly often these days and gave up on my Otter Box. Also, when you need to physically remove the battery, it's a lot of work. This wasn't an issue with Quickpull Pro, but that program isn't compatible with OS 5.0.

Another issue with the case (and I assume any similar case) is that you can't use a cradle to charge.